MOSCOW (Realist English). On 29 October, Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking at the plenary session of the third Russia–Africa summit in Moscow, explained why Russian business is considering relocating part of its production to African countries. According to him, this decision is driven by sanctions pressure on the Russian economy and represents a mutual interest for both sides.
What Putin said
“I won’t say anything unexpected, but this fully meets Russia’s interests, especially in today’s conditions, when numerous sanctions are applied to the Russian economy and Russian enterprises. Our companies are simply interested in relocating certain production facilities to African countries — a mutual interest,” TASS quoted the president as saying.
Putin stressed that decisions on locating production must be made by African states independently, without external pressure, and that investments must be reliable and protected so that cooperation functions regardless of changes in the foreign policy environment.
The summit and economic ties
The statement came against the backdrop of the third Russia–Africa summit, held in Moscow on 28–29 October. Delegations from 48 African countries arrived in the capital, 22 of them represented at the highest level. The day before, on 28 October, Putin suggested that African airlines begin flights to Russia and announced his intention to expand the geography of food exports. According to him, in the first nine months of 2026 Russia supplied 13 million tonnes of agricultural products to the continent, and total trade between Russia and Africa could exceed $50 billion.
What areas of cooperation were outlined
In addition to relocating production, Putin listed the main areas of interaction with Africa: infrastructure development, investment, agriculture, energy, education and expanding sales markets. According to the president, Russian companies have significant investment potential for working on the continent.
Putin’s statement signifies not an already accomplished relocation of production, but a direction in which Russian business is seeking workarounds under sanctions. Africa is seen as a platform where production can be localised for subsequent sale in friendly markets, bypassing Western restrictions. However, the implementation of this scenario depends not only on political will but also on the readiness of African states to provide guarantees for investment protection, as well as on the resilience of logistics chains. So far, it is a declaration of interest rather than specific projects — the first information about the creation of assembly facilities in individual countries may appear after the summit concludes.
